Over 1600 Cyber Attacks Thwarted in First Quarter of Ethiopian Fiscal Year

The Information Network Security Administration (INSA) revealed that it has thwarted more than 1,600 cyber attacks on different institutions in the first quarter of the 2015 Ethiopian fiscal year.​​

INSA Intrusion Analysis Team Leader, Abel Temesgen told ENA that financial institutions were the major targets of the attacks, followed by ministries and the education sector.

“Most of the cyber-attacks occurred mainly on financial institutions and next on government ministries and the education sector…. Web defacement, Ransomware and financial fraud were among the main types of cyber-attacks assessed by the team,” he said.

In addition to benefiting from the services that INSA is providing to public and private institutions, the team leader said institutions in Ethiopia should establish their own cyber security center to effectively prevent the increasing cyber attacks in the country.

“The institutions should establish their own security operation center to effectively prevent cyber attacks. To develop a security operation center, any governmental and private organization can approach us to work together as the platform we use allows cooperation,” the team leader pointed out.

The team at INSA analyzes origins and types of cyber-attacks, assesses institutional gaps in terms of cyber security, and advises institutions on cyber security and ways to prevent cyber attacks, it was learned.

Abel stressed that any institution that faces cyber attack should report and cooperate with INSA to solicit cyber security support.

INSA recorded 8,845 cyber attacks at the end of the 2014 Ethiopian fiscal year, over tenfold rise from the 791 cyber attacks that occurred in 2011.

Source: Ethiopia News Agency